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Like the queen, King Charles has kept his name. Why future monarchs could follow suit
King Charles III, just like his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, is keeping his given name despite the historical baggage associated with it.Charles Philip Arthur George, who acceded to the throne Thursday after the death of his mother, could have chosen another name to be used during his reign. King Charles III’s name loaded with history But his decision to retain his birth name comes as no surprise, royal observers and historians say.“He’s quite comfortable in his own skin, his own name and his own identity,” said Keith Roy, a spokesperson for the Monarchist League of Canada.“His own reputation is strong enough that he can maintain his name,” he told Global News.As the longest-serving heir to the British throne, Charles has been in the public eye for as long as he’s been alive, so a name change at this point in his life would’ve been “quite jarring” according to Roy.The last time a British monarch changed their name was in 1936, when Queen Elizabeth II’s father, who was born Albert Frederick Arthur George and called Bertie by friends and family, chose King George VI as his title to honour the memory of his father, King George V.